Coolia Dinos

[HouseofStark]

Cyano or Dinos.. (autocorrect on phone got me)

Looking for some confirmation. First time with microscope. I attached a couple videos I took. I’ve been keeping nutrients in the tank. .05-.15 po4 and 5-15 no3 using hanna checkers. Figured it was something to keep run it’s course but it doesn’t seems to be going away.

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[Reefer5640]

That looks like Dino’s to me

 

[HouseofStark]

I would agree, what stumps me is I’ve also had/ran higher nutrients. Best plan with sps in tank… increase nutrients and run a uv? Someone stated black out with sps in tank is a no go?

 

[Reefer5640]

I would avoid black outs if possible. There is a lot of info on battling Dino’s and how to ID which one you’re dealing with now. First thing I’d try is frequent manual removal and change mechanical filter daily if not twice a day. You’ve already got the UV, double check flow rate is adequate for Dino’s. At least you’ll keep it at bay while you establish a plan.

 

[HouseofStark]

I don’t have a uv. Currently dosing some brightwell nitrate since that was reading 1-2pm
Working on getting that to around 5. Po4 came back at .05 Going to increase nutrients, and let glass get dirty to try to out compete. Dial back lights, thinking a morning and after light out dose of h2o2, 1ml per 10 gal. On ther 550 page Dino page…. Kinda over whelming.

 

[Reefer5640]

I don’t have a uv. Currently dosing some brightwell nitrate since that was reading 1-2pm
Working on getting that to around 5. Po4 came back at .05 Going to increase nutrients, and let glass get dirty to try to out compete. Dial back lights, thinking a morning and after light out dose of h2o2, 1ml per 10 gal. On ther 550 page Dino page…. Kinda over whelming.

My mistake I thought when you mentioned UV you were implying you had one. Yeah there is a ton of info on Dino’s definitely overwhelming. I have had them a few times on different tanks over the years. I don’t know your knowledge on Dino’s but I can say it’s critical to identify which type you’re dealing with. Some are easier to get rid of than others and some take different approaches than others. I know there’s a type that generally grows in the sand bed and are slightly less aggressive but they seem to be the harder one to get rid of too. Another type grows on the rocks more than the sand and they seem to grow more aggressively but are slightly easier to get rid of. I can do some digging to see if I can find some of the helpful articles/threads that I’ve used in the past.

 

[HouseofStark]

I found this post with a download ID. To me they look like coolia

Dinoflagellate Identification Guide

I've had this laying around for a while. Had some recent interest, so I tweaked it a bit and am posting it. Not really about cures just ID pictures, videos, and a few short facts. Hope it can be helpful.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Nanojoe]

Looks to be LCA which is what i had. Here is what i did, Im still Dino free since writing this thread.

I beat Dinoflagellates.... I think.

Wanted to share my experience with LCA dinoflagellates (Large Cell Amphidinium). TL;DR I think I beat Dinos with bacteria and being lazy... I encourage you to read the whole thing though... I also wanted to share this experience to ease the mind of some others. Now, before I really delve...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[aggrofish]

Do they go away at night, I.e. release into the water column? If so UV will help. If they stay on the sand not so much. I’ve been dealing with them for a while now. Finally got it to a point where I can let it go a couple days and I get the brown covering that I would get before in an hour.

after a few weeks of it not getting any better with dosing Nitrate and phosphate I started throwing the kitchen sink at it:

1.) no water changes
2.) got a UV anyway even though they stay in the sand
3.) cut lights down to 50% and set them to ramp back up to 100 over 60 days
4.) siphoned sand bed daily into filter socks
5.) dose neophos, neonitro, and alternate between MB7 and clean
6.) homemade coral snow every night

it got bad and covered the sand, rock, and coral. All sps and a bunch of hammers died. If feels manageable now that it’s only on the sand bed. I didn’t add any pods but there’s been an explosion of them…they literally cover the entire back glass. I see small patches of GHA starting to grow so I’m ordering a massive CUC online.

good luck dinos suck

 

[Double monti 61]

Maybe you need something in or on your substrate that will stir it up and consume the nutrients.

 

[HouseofStark]

Maybe you need something in or on your substrate that will stir it up and consume the nutrients.

I have a diamond watchman goby, 5-10 hermits and a sand-sifting cucumber.

Looks to be LCA which is what i had. Here is what i did, Im still Dino free since writing this thread.

I beat Dinoflagellates.... I think.

Wanted to share my experience with LCA dinoflagellates (Large Cell Amphidinium). TL;DR I think I beat Dinos with bacteria and being lazy... I encourage you to read the whole thing though... I also wanted to share this experience to ease the mind of some others. Now, before I really delve...

www.reef2reef.com

Will take a read through

Do they go away at night, I.e. release into the water column? If so UV will help. If they stay on the sand not so much. I’ve been dealing with them for a while now. Finally got it to a point where I can let it go a couple days and I get the brown covering that I would get before in an hour.

after a few weeks of it not getting any better with dosing Nitrate and phosphate I started throwing the kitchen sink at it:

1.) no water changes
2.) got a UV anyway even though they stay in the sand
3.) cut lights down to 50% and set them to ramp back up to 100 over 60 days
4.) siphoned sand bed daily into filter socks
5.) dose neophos, neonitro, and alternate between MB7 and clean
6.) homemade coral snow every night

it got bad and covered the sand, rock, and coral. All sps and a bunch of hammers died. If feels manageable now that it’s only on the sand bed. I didn’t add any pods but there’s been an explosion of them…they literally cover the entire back glass. I see small patches of GHA starting to grow so I’m ordering a massive CUC online.

good luck dinos suck

I don’t think they “lessen” at night. Now less white and more blues make it look like it. But if I take a flash light, it looks to be the same amount. That’s why I thought coolia ( round brown, and only effects sand, not water in water column). I was reading into silicate dosing, to create a diatom bloom to push them out.. then deal with diatoms. I do feel it was NO3 that bottomed out…
Don’t want to go kitchen sink yet

 

[HouseofStark]

@taricha been reading your post on the LCA. Do you believe that’s the dinos I have? Would you say or suggest silicate dosing? My no3 has been less than 5, and I’m feeling that’s where I might have let them in. My po4 has always been .05-.15 I thought they might be diatoms, so I was letting them run its course on silicates. Not diatoms I have a bottle of brightwell nitrate I’m dosing to try to get to and keep 5-10. Reducing my fuge photo time, to increase nutrients. Feel my fuge might be bottoming out my no3.

To me the look like coolia…

 

[taricha]

To me the look like coolia…

yes, coolia indeed.
Si dosing isn't harmful regardless, and for sand-dwelling strains (like this) many find it helpful.

 

[HouseofStark]

Currently blowing sand right at lights out, running 55 watt jabeo on 90 gallon system 24/7 with 3x an hour turn over rate. Besides Si dosing, is there anything else you suggest? nutrients yesterday were 7 and .08

 

[HouseofStark]

Update, no luck still same coolia dino battle.

What Ive tried so far...been 2.5 weeks

-Kept nutrients at 5-10 and .05-.1
-Have a 55watt Jabeo UV plumbed over the top edge of the tank, running 24/7, bucket test as me around 300gph...more on this later
-Blowing sand off at light out.
-Hung, via veg clips, a couple of cut of wool filter socks in the tank to catch dinos when in water column, rinse out.
-Every few days put 50 micron wool filter sock at night to catch when in water column, haven't done this alot just because Im trying to keep my nutrient levels up.
-Did 3 day no lights, not black out, just room ambient light.
-Rechecked dinos same strain..

Back to the UV, I was informed that my UV was oversized and that I could be hitting my fish with excess ozone causing possible fish issue. I have a midas bleeny for 2 years that has lately just been laying on the sand. From what I have researched the only thing oversized UV would cause was eases heat. I've now changed my UV to run during lights out only. Is this a valid concern?

My current attempt this week is 5 days of no display lights. Dosing 1ml/10gal of h2o2 to my water column at normal light out time, 8pm and then in the am, 8am no uv, no skimmer for 3hrs and dosing 1ml/10gal of MB7. Running uv 8pm-8am only.

Looking for suggestions, the first 3 day no lights seem to take care of them, but once i put lights back on they came back. Maybe I should really dial back my lights and not go right back to full schedule?

 

[HouseofStark]

Ive been....Ive since turned my lights back on ..low intensity and all blues.... Dosing 1ml/10gal of h2o2 to my water column at normal light out time, 8pm and then in the am, 8am no uv, no skimmer for 3hrs and dosing 1ml/10gal of MB7.

For some reason my nutrients have started to climb. Would dosing h2o2 or mb contribute to nutrients? Or is it because I have my lights turned down alot my corals arent uptaking like they normally do?

Last nights reading was .2 po4 and 18 no3 and thats been the highest Ive ever had my tank....

Trying to figure out why nutrients are climbing

 

[BanjoBandito]

Your biome isn't right. This is an uneducated opinion, but as someone that has recently had dinos and tried "everything" what worked for me was a full on diatom blanket. I dosed silicates to trigger a huge diatom bloom. The diatoms will "out compete" and basically everything eats diatoms so it'll build the bacteria culture back up to what you want.

Do you run GFO by chance?

 

[HouseofStark]

I have not resorted to the silicate dosing yet. I have a Jebao 55watt UV Ive been running for a month now at night. blowing off sand to get into water column. Have fuge Ive increased last night from 12hr run to 18hrs. Skimmer, skimming wet. Have put in filter floss and carbon every other week on a media reactor. Last week did a no DT lights which dialed them back alot, dosed hydrogen peroxide 1ml per 10gal at night and then morning uv and skimmer off, dose 1ml/10gal MB7. Starting to see the dinos on the sand again around some coral frags (low flow). Have display lights back on but half power and all blues. Tested nutrients and were surprised how elevated they were. I have and could run gfo, but want to keep nutrients just not as much as they are now :/

 

[BanjoBandito]

I have not resorted to the silicate dosing yet. I have a Jebao 55watt UV Ive been running for a month now at night. blowing off sand to get into water column. Have fuge Ive increased last night from 12hr run to 18hrs. Skimmer, skimming wet. Have put in filter floss and carbon every other week on a media reactor. Last week did a no DT lights which dialed them back alot, dosed hydrogen peroxide 1ml per 10gal at night and then morning uv and skimmer off, dose 1ml/10gal MB7. Starting to see the dinos on the sand again around some coral frags (low flow). Have display lights back on but half power and all blues. Tested nutrients and were surprised how elevated they were. I have and could run gfo, but want to keep nutrients just not as much as they are now :/

I asked about the GFO because it strips silicates from the water, and I'm pretty sure some people get dinos by the gun ho philosophy of LOW PHOSPHATES

 

[saltyhog]

Restoring nutrient levels is important long term. Coolia is one of the harder ones to treat for me. It does respond to UV but not as quickly as ostreopsis. I would also consider dosing phytoplankton. That seems to be helpful with most types of dinos.

What size is your tank?! Running UV has no consequences for your fish, whoever told you that is way off. Your UV is appropriate for a tank of about 150 gallons for dinos. Manufacturer's recommendations are for applications other than dinos. As of now, manufacturers aren't really considering or have any knowledge of treating dinos with UV.